Why it’s important

Electricity Generation and Coal Use in Colorado:

82 % of the state’s electricity is produced by coal fired power plants, which released 36,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide(CO2), 132,000 tons of NOx, and 86,000 tons of SO2 in 1999.

In Colorado, total CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants are approximately 15 times greater than emissions from natural gas-fired power plants.

Due to Colorado’s reliance on coal, its CO2 emission factor of 1.93 lb/kWh is relatively high compared to the U.S. average of1.34 lb/kWh.

Electrical power plants are also major contributors to releases of air toxics in the state (31 percent of total reported in 2000), particularly for mercury and dioxin.

Overall, electric utilities were responsible for 47.5 percent of the CO2 equivalent emissions in Colorado in 1990. Most of the 1,126,000 MM Btu’s of fuel consumed in Colorado in 1999 were used for electricity generation(34 percent) and transportation (32 percent).

When coal is burned, it emits 70 percent more carbon dioxide per Btu of energy produced than natural gas.

Background

Information related to Colorado’s coal plants:

Arapahoe

Location: South Denver

Number of Units: 2

Power produced: 56 MW total

CO2 Emissions:

Fuel source: Low-sulfur coal from the Powder River Basin, Gillette WY

Year built: 1950

2007 Total operating costs: $33.6 Million

Cameo – Retired in 2010

Location: Grand Junction

Number of Units: 2

Power produced: 73 MW

CO2 Emissions:

Fuel source: Low-sulfur coal from McClane Canyon Mine near Mack CO

Year built: 1957

2007 Total operating costs: $17.2 Million

Cherokee

Location: North Denver

Number of Units: 4

Power produced: 717 MW

CO2 Emissions:

Fuel source: Low-sulfur coal from Western CO

Year built: 1957

2007 Total operating costs: $125.9 Million

Comanche

Location: Pueblo

Number of Units: 3

Power produced: 660 MW

CO2 Emissions:

Fuel source: Low-sulfur coal from Power River Basin, Gillette, WY

Year built: 1971

2007 Total operating costs: $77.6 Million

Hayden

Location: Hayden, Colorado

Number of Units: 2

Power produced: 446 MW

CO2 Emissions:

Fuel source: Low sulfur coal from Twenty Mile mine

Year built: 1962

2007 Total operating costs: $44.6 Million

Pawnee

Location: Brush CO

Number of Units: 1

Power produced: 505 MW

CO2 Emissions:

Fuel source: Low sulfur coal from near Gillette, WY

Year built: 1977

2007 Total operating costs: $58.2 Million

Valmont

Location: Boulder, Colorado

Number of Units: 2

Power produced: 186 MW from coal, 43MW natural gas

CO2 Emissions:

Fuel source: Low-sulfur coal from western Colorado

Year built: 1921

2007 Total operating costs: $35.8 Million

Xcel’s Coal Plants–Ages, Depreciation and Retirement Dates:

Facility Name

Unit #

Commissioned Date (a)

Original Cost as of1/1/2006(b)

Accumulated Depreciation as of1/1/2006 (c)

Net Plant as of1/1/2006(d)

Retirement Date (e)

(06S-234EG)

Arapahoe

3

1951

$17,169,365

$15,663,320

$1,506,045

2011

Arapahoe

4

1955

$77,650,327

$59,809,639

$17,840,688

2015

Cameo

1

1957

$11,107,350

$8,894,237

$2,213,113

2017

Cameo

2

1960

$27,467,296

$18,968,946

$8,498,350

2020

Cherokee

1

1957

$51,362,147

$50,011,960

$1,350,187

2017

Cherokee

2

1959

$42,880,442

$40,623,561

$2,256,881

2019

Cherokee

3

1962

$69,580,184

$46,826,257

$22,753,927

2022

Cherokee

4

1968

$223,997,460

$106,892,219

$117,105,241

2028

Comanche

1

1973

$162,142,598

$76,117,471

$86,025,127

2033

Comanche

2

1975

$186,340,402

$112,093,203

$74,247,199

2035

Craig (4)

1

1980

$59,116,627

$22,873,340

$36,243,287

2040

Craig (4)

2

1979

$26,158,843

$13,409,637

$12,749,206

2039

Hayden (4)

1

1965

$83,679,043

$43,287,653

$40,391,390

2025

Hayden (4)

2

1976

$107,540,352

$51,163,972

$56,376,380

2036

Pawnee

1

1981

$521,313,048

$215,521,607

$305,791,441

2041

Valmont

5

1964

$121,808,243

$53,303,476

$68,504,767

2024

Closing Coal Plants

To comply with the Clean Air Clean Jobs Act, Xcel plans to close the Valmont coal plant by 2017; the Cherokee and Arapahoe coal plants are set to transition to natural gas by 2017. The Hayden and Pawnee coal plants are being considered for pollution controls which would keep the coal plants on-line until 2036 and 2041 respectively and would cost close to $380 million.

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